![]() ![]() The individual signals passing from neurone to neurone are not bound together, whether as elements of information or physically.The following arguments about this binding phenomenon are raised: We perceive colour, shape, sound and touch 'bound' in a single experience. The following paper is published in Journal of Consciousness Studies, Volume 12, No.4-5, pp60-76 How staggeringly bold! Imagine what a shock wave such a test would generate, scientifically and philosophically, of course, but also out into the political sphere.Jonathan CW Edwards, University College London There are many dazzling insights on offer but, for me, the most eye-catching development is the formulation of a framework for determining which other animal species are sentient or even in possession of a sense of self. Taking a long view of his entire scientific career and peppered with brilliant anecdotes, Sentience crystallizes Humphreys latest thinking on the evolution of consciousness. "Nick Humphrey has been a hugely influential figure across the fields of experimental psychology, neuroscience, and philosophy for half a century, and, for my money, is the most inventive psychological thinker of his generation. How staggeringly bold! Imagine what a shock wave such a test would generate, scientifically and philosophically, of course, but also out into the political sphere." - Paul Broks, author of Into the Silent Land: Travels in Neuropsychology and The Darker the Night, the Brighter the Stars: A Neuropsychologists Odyssey Through Consciousness ![]() In this bold and persuasive book he lays out how he came to his conclusions in a lifetime of studying animals and human minds." - Matt Ridley "Nobody has thought more deeply, originally or poetically about animal sentience and the notion of consciousness. It will fascinate general readers and inspire academic researchers." - Keith Frankish, author of Mind and Supermind #Sentience vs consciousness full#Sentience is a beautifully written book, full of engaging vignettes, original ideas, and intriguing suggestions. Nicholas Humphrey is such a person, and in his new book he cements his claim to be one of the most insightful writers on this notoriously difficult topic. ![]() "It takes a special kind of person to write illuminatingly about consciousness - a person who is not only steeped in cognitive science, biology, and philosophy, but also has a fertile imagination, an openness to new ideas, and a sensitivity to the richness and variety of experience in humans and other animals. And for now, but not necessarily for ever, so are man-made machines. Invertebrates, such as octopuses and bees, for all their intelligence, are in this respect unfeeling zombies. Contrary to both popular and much scientific opinion, he argues that phenomenal consciousness is a relatively recent evolutionary innovation, present only in warm-blooded creatures, mammals and birds. His conclusions, on the evidence as it stands, are radical. Building on this theory of how phenomenal consciousness is generated in the human brain, he turns to the morally crucial question of whether it exists in non-human creatures. Out of this, he has come up with an explanation of conscious feeling - 'phenomenal consciousness' - that he presents here in full for the first time. In this extraordinary book, weaving together intellectual adventure, cutting-edge science, and his own breakthrough experiences, he tells the story of his quest to uncover the evolutionary history of consciousness: from his discovery of blindsight after brain damage in monkeys, to hanging out with mountain gorillas in Rwanda, to becoming a leading philosopher of mind. ![]() Nicholas Humphrey has been researching these issues for fifty years. But is it only humans who feel this way? Do other animals? Will future machines? To answer these questions we need a scientific understanding of consciousness: what it is and why it has evolved. They are essential to our idea of ourselves as psychic beings: present, existent, and mattering. Conscious sensations ground our sense of self.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |